


To The Stars

by rabidinroarton



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Titanic Fusion, Arranged Marriage, Depression, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-20 22:15:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3667197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rabidinroarton/pseuds/rabidinroarton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Life's a gift, I don't intend on wasting it."</p>
<p>Kieren Walker is a wealthy young man who's life up until he boarded the HMS Titanic, was dull and repetitive. Simon Monroe is a third class passenger who knows what it feels like to give up hope, and who intends on making everyday he lives on this planet worthwhile. The night that Simon stopped a beautiful boy from throwing himself into the cold, unforgiving depths of the ocean, was the same night his life changed forever.</p>
<p>I'm not the best at writing, but I got this idea into my head and it wouldn't leave me alone.<br/>This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm really nervous about posting it so, if you were to leave a comment I'd really appreciate it, thank you for reading I hope you have a lovely day! :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Ship Of Dreams

“Here’s your stop sir, the wonderful harbour of South Hampton, and there’s the boat… She’s a wonderful, ain’t she?” The cab driver said, addressing his two young passengers. Kieren Walker grinned “she’s stunning” he replied, looking up at the beautiful vessel that was casting a dark shadow over the dock. “Completely stunning…”

“Stunning don’t cover it, she’s one of a kind that girl is!” The cab driver explained with a crooked smile, he then got out of his seat and walked around the vehicle to open the door for Kieren. “What do ya want me to do with your luggage then?”

“Just bring it onto the ship” said Kieren, turning to help his partner out of the carriage. Lisa Lancaster looked around her surroundings with little interest. “She’s everything they said she’d been and more, don’t you think?” Kieren couldn’t keep the awe out of his voice as he looked up at the ship before him, Lisa huffed “You haven’t seen the inside of it yet!” She joked, taking his arm. “If the inside is half as gorgeous as the outside, then we’re in for quite a trip my dear.”

“Yes, I supposed so” Lisa remarked with a bored look on her face. “Lisa my darling, are we ready to board now?” Kieren stared down at his feet as Lisa’s father approached. “More than ready father, Kieren was just going on about how magnificent the ship looks!” Kieren winched as Lisa’s father clapped him on the back “you’ve got good taste then my boy, come along you two!” Lisa all but dragged Kieren along beside her as they walked towards the boarding area, and Kieren felt as he always did when he was around the Lancasters, out of place.

He and Lisa had been engaged for a long time now and even though Kieren cared for her he had always felt… Odd around her. When he held her hand it didn’t feel right and when she told him she loved him, he didn’t think she was being sincere. The main reason this engagement was going forward was in the name of familial ties, money. Lisa’s family were a force to be reckoned with, and Kieren always felt intimidated whenever his soon-to-be-father-in-law was near. However, with the soles of his feet clacking as he walked along the dock, overlooked by one the most wonderful sites he’d ever seen, Kieren couldn’t help but feel childish joy at the thought of the journey to come…

* * *

 

 

Not too far away in a gloomy dockside tavern, huddled around a small circular table, were five men gambling. Three of them were Italian, and seemingly took joy out of glaring menacingly over the table at the other two.

“Don’t trust these foreigners Simon, they’re trouble” One of the two men said, taking a swig of his drink. “Also: they’re mighty fine card players, they’ll rob you if you’re not careful!” Simon chuckled and looked over at his friend, Philip “Calm down will you? I’ve got this.”

“Hit me” one of the Italians growled, causing Simon to toss his card onto the deck. “150 quid” Simon said, taking out his winnings from a previous game and placing them on the table beside him. Philip nearly choked on his drink as he looked at the large sum of money Simon had just betted. The Italians grouped together and spoke to each other in whispers.

Simon reached into his pocket, took out a cigarette and placed it in between his lips “I hope you know what you’re doing” Philip mumbled. Simon lit the cigarette and shook his head at Philip “you have no faith in me, old friend.” After a few long minutes the Italians sat up straight again. “We have no more money to bet…” The tallest of them said “But we will make things interesting… Raise the stakes a little…” He then took three pieces of paper out of his jacket and laid them out on the table before him. “Three, third class tickets for the Titanic.”

Simon beamed like a child at Christmas “sounds fair” he said “shall we play?”

One round of cards later and the tension around the table was at its peak. “Alright” Simon announced “moment of truth, somebody’s life is about to change… Philip?” Philip laid his cards on the table. “Nothing?” Simon asked. “Nothing” Philip said, looking angry.

Simon turned to the Italian on the far right of the table. “Sven?” Sven turned his cards around. “Nothing... Shame!” Simon then made eye contact with the second Italian “Aldous?” Aldous repeated the gesture made by Sven “Also nothing? Wow!” Finally, Simon twisted so that he was face to face with the third Italian on the table, who was smiling horribly at him.

“Olaf?” Olaf laid his hand on the table and Simon’s face fell. “Ah, two pair… I’m sorry Philip…” Philip’s eyes burst out of his head “SORRY?” He yelled “You bet our money and-“ “I’m sorry, you’re not going to be seeing your mother again for a long time… because we’re going to America!” Simon slammed his hand down on the wood triumphantly “FULL HOUSE BOYS!”

Simon downed the rest of his drink, stood up and bowed to the stunned Italians. Philip clapped his hands and laughed joyfully, before reaching across the poker table and snatching the tickets off the Europeans “I can’t believe it!” Simon winked at his friend “and look there’s three tickets!” He said, Philip looked at Simon confused. Simon rolled his eyes “Three. Tickets” he repeated, jerking his head in the direction of Amy Dyer, Philip’s girlfriend, who was sat a few tables away, looking at them in confusion.

“I can’t ask her to just drop everything and come with us! That’s mental!”

“As mental as winning three, third class tickets on The Enterprise in a poker game, you mean?”

Philip looked over at the woman who was probably the love of his life and smiled “Fancy a trip to America sweetheart?” He asked. Amy’s bounded up to Philip enthusiastically and snatched the tickets out of his hands. “These for real?”

“It would appear so…” Amy’s eyes darted from the tickets in her hands, to Philip, and then back to the tickets again as the situation suddenly dawned on her. “Oh my god… Oh my god, what are we standing around here for then? The boat leaves in five minutes flippin’ heck come on!” The young girl exclaimed, passing the tickets back to Philip and hitching up her skirts in order to run.

It was a close call but they managed to weave in and out of the dock workers, flash their tickets at the guards, and board the ship, before the propellers began to turn. “Let’s go up on top deck, I wanna wave at the people below!” Amy said enthusiastically, taking off up the crowded staircase. Philip looked at her fondly and Simon followed behind them, rolling his eyes back into his head so dramatically that he ended up bumping into a young, well-dressed man with strawberry blonde hair.

“Sorry!” He said, the man didn’t look at him though. Simon huffed and muttered something about “posh snobs” under his breath and then broke into a run to catch up with his friends. He imagined that was what all first class passengers aboard this ship were like, pretentious and stuck up without the decency to even acknowledge those below them.

* * *

 

Well it wasn’t Kieren’s fault; that dark haired man should’ve been looking where he was going…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I was watching the poker game scene from Titanic and the two men Jack and his friend played cards with were actually called Olaf and Sven, which made me smile!  
> I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! (I'll try to get the next one up asap!) x


	2. You Jump, I Jump

“I can’t believe you!” Lisa exclaimed

“I really can’t I mean honestly Kieren I told you to leave these at home!” She reached into her fiancé’s black suitcase, pulled out the package at the bottom and threw it onto the bed. “Hey easy, you’re going to end up damaging one of my drawings!”

“I swear to the high heavens… Are your art supplies packed in here as well?”

“I need them!” Kieren insisted, reaching over to put his sketch book away.

“Unbelievable!” Lisa said, taking Kieren’s pencils out and throwing them to him. “I don’t understand, why do you need your old drawings if you intend to create new ones?”

“Because, true artists make a record of their previous attempts, you know, so that they can improve them in the future if they wish to!” Explained Kieren, Lisa rolled her eyes.

“With all the space in this suitcase you’ve taken up packing your art things, I could’ve brought another five dresses!”

“But you can buy new dresses; I can’t create the exact same thing twice now, can I?”

Lisa shrugged “speaking of dresses, I need some privacy to get changed… Dinner is in thirty minutes…” She said, glancing at Kieren’s casual attire “perhaps you should do the same…”

Kieren sighed and made his way out of the room in order to give Lisa her privacy. Kieren had never had any desire to see Lisa naked anyway, it wasn’t that he didn’t think she was pretty, he did. It was just that he didn’t think of her in that way.

Whilst walking down the hallway Kieren thought about the conversation he and Lisa had just had, he fiddled with his engagement ring and tried not to think about how unfair it was that Lisa was able to mock him and his hobbies whenever she pleased and he couldn’t do the same to her, because if he did then her father would have words with him. Kieren shivered just thinking about it.

Before he’d left home his sister Jemima had told him not to let Lisa’s father get to him. “ _If he starts having a go at you kick him in the nuts, defend yourself_ ” she’d said. Kieren already missed her; he already missed his parents and his home. He dreaded the future he was destined to endure, a future of living in America with Lisa and her family. It would be a wealthy life, but it would be a miserable one.

Kieren could feel tears building up in his eyes just at the thought of it; he didn’t know how much longer he could pretend to have a romantic and sexual attraction to Lisa for and he didn’t know how much longer he could put up with Lisa’s dad for either. He sniffed and wiped his eyes chuckling softly at how pathetic he was being, ‘ _there’s no point crying Kieren, you can’t do anything about it_ ’ he reminded himself sadly.

* * *

 

 

“Blood hell this bed’s comfortable!” Amy announced bouncing up and down on the mattress.

Simon glanced across their small room at her with an amused look on his face. "Try not to break it then” he said “us three were lucky to get a room all to ourselves and I don’t plan on getting kicked out of it before this journey is over.”

Amy stuck her tongue out at Simon and then turned to Philip, who was watching them. “You sleeping on the top bunk or are you joining me down here?”

“Sleep with her Phil, I’d hate to wake up in the middle of the night to rough seas and you falling off the top bunk and cracking your head open” Simon smirked, getting up from where he was sat and making his way towards the door. “I’m off to get some food if you need me open a port hole and scream really loud.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Amy yelled after him.

* * *

 

“So, Lisa tell us about your wedding plans!”

_**Your**_  wedding plans. Kieren wondered if anyone would notice if he were to just fall of the Earth and never come back, he wondered if anyone sat around the dining table this evening would notice if he just didn’t come to the wedding, if he just stayed at home.

Lisa preferred the words “I” and “My” to “We” and “Our” and Kieren doubted that would ever change. He starred of into space as Lisa babbled on about guests and venues and times and dates to the woman sat beside her, who was wearing a puffy blue dress and looked like she’d put her make-up on with a shovel.

“Tell her about the wedding dress incident!” Lisa’s father spoke up; Kieren could feel himself going red with embarrassment at the mere mention of it.

“Oh yeah, Kieren had this atrocious idea that I should drift away from the traditional white dress and wear something with colour! Colour! He said it would look more modern, wannabe artists, can you believe them?” Lisa laughed. Kieren felt his heart sink.

“That’s what happens when you let men plan weddings my dear!” Lisa’s father said, shooting a disapproving look over the table to where Kieren was sat opposite him. “I’m telling you if it weren’t for my darling wife’s dying wish, and the money we’d gain from marrying Lisa into the Walker family, I would’ve called the wedding off the minute Lisa mentioned the wedding dress incident, honestly!” Lisa’s father took a sip of his champagne and laughed along with his daughter.

“What do you think Lisa?” The women in the blue dress asked “Do you think Kieren is a suitable husband?”

The longer Lisa spent seemingly thinking up an answer to that question the redder Kieren’s face got, he closed his eyes and willed himself to disappear.

“A suitable husband must be an honest man, a fair man, a good man, _**a man!**_ And for what Kieren lacks in taste and style and humour he makes up for in manners… even if his personality is rather bland” Lisa said, talking about him as if he were not there.

“And you Mr Lancaster, what do you think?” The women in the blue dress turned to face Lisa’s father and Kieren wished she’d stop being so damn nosey.

Mr Lancaster cleared his throat “Like Lisa said we’ve yet to make a man out of him and I often ask myself if I’ve made the right decision… but, Lisa’s happy so… Most of the problems the boy causes can be over looked for the time being.”

He raised his glass. “To Lisa and her future happiness”

“To Lisa!”

The party raised their glasses in time with one another and all of them failed to notice Kieren leave the table and slip out of the room.

* * *

 

 

Simon Monroe considered himself lucky. He’d battled with depression and he’d made it out in one piece. He’d been fortunate enough to gain enough money to make it to England and start a new life. He’d been lucky enough to meet Philip and Amy and have them give him a place to stay. And if that wasn’t enough he’d won three tickets on board the ship of dreams in a poker game!

After having dinner in the third class dining hall that evening, Simon had decided to give Amy and Philip a bit of privacy, and had headed up onto top deck to star gaze. Simon had a very poetic mind, he loved reading and writing and he was a lot smarter than his outward appearance would lead you to believe. However, standing below the beautiful stars on a clear night such as the one that he was currently experiencing on board the most wonderful ship man had yet created, Simon couldn’t find the right words to describe what he was feeling.

The Irish man took in a deep breath as he strode along the decking, filling his lungs with sea air. As he approached the stern of the ship, he saw he wasn’t alone. There was a young man, who Simon recognised as the man he’d bumped into earlier that day, leaning over the railing of the ship. Even from a distance Simon could hear the man crying and sobbing whilst staring into the water below.

Although Simon felt bad for the young man, he was about to leave until he realised with a terrifying jolt that the man was no longer stood on the right side of the railing, but had swung around and was now leaning over the water below!

“Woah, woah, woah hey, you really don’t want to do that!” Simon said, sprinting up the deck until he was standing just behind the man.

“Don’t come any closer” The young man warned, turning his head around to face Simon. Simon was surprised to hear that, although he looked posh and sophisticated, he spoke with a normal, northern English accent. “I mean it, I’ll let go of the railing, I’ll… I’ll jump!”

Simon looked the young man in the eye “No you won’t” he said.

The young man looked at him with a mixture of confusion and anger “What do you mean ‘No I won’t’? Don’t presume to tell me what I will and will not do, you don’t know me!”

Simon shrugged “Well, if you were going to you would’ve done it by now…”

The young man held his gaze for another moment; he _**was**_ young, Simon saw now, very young probably only eighteen or nineteen, far too young to be in the position he was currently in.

“Go away” the young man said “you’re distracting me!”

“I can’t, I’m involved now… If you let go then…” Simon looked up at the stares presumably in deep thought, and then took his jacket off and looked back at the suicidal teenager. “If you let go” he continued “then I’m going to have to jump in after you.”

The young man furrowed his brow, his eyes darting from Simon to the water below and then back to Simon again. “Don’t be absurd” he said “You’d be killed.”

“I’m a good swimmer” Simon began undoing his laces.

“The fall alone would kill you.”

“It would hurt” Simon agreed “I’m not saying it wouldn’t” he took his left boot off and then began to undone his right “to tell you the truth I’m a little more concerned about that water being so cold…”

The young man looked up at Simon; doubt spread across his face “How cold?”

“Freezing… Maybe a couple degrees over…” Simon took his other boot off and stood up straight, he smiled at the teenager “take it from someone who did something really stupid a while back, water a few degrees over freezing, like that water down there, it hits you like… a thousand knives stabbing you, all over your body. You can’t breathe. You can’t think.” Simon said pausing for dramatic effect “at least not about anything but the pain…” He sighed “Which is why I’m not looking forward to jumping in there after you! But like I said… I don’t have a choice.”

Without breaking the young man’s gaze, Simon took a few steps forward, until he was only a couple of feet away from the teenager “which is why I’m kind of hoping you’ll come back over the railing and get me off the hook here…”

“You’re crazy!” The young man scoffed, turning back round to face the tides below again.

“That’s what everybody says! But, em, and I mean this with all due respect sir… I’m not the one hanging off the back of ship here…”

The corner of Simon’s lips turned up “come on, give me your hand, you don’t want to do this…” Simon took his hand out of his pocket and offered it to his companion.

Slowly, the teenager turned his head round to face Simon again, being this close to the young man, Simon could see that his eyelashes were wet with tears and his knuckles were white with how hard he was gripping onto the railing. The image before the Irish man looked painfully familiar.

The teenager’s grip on the railing loosened slightly, and his right hand came up to grab onto Simon’s outstretched one. Simon grinned and held on tightly to the young man, helping him to turn until the suicidal teenager was fully facing Simon properly for the first time.

Simon held both of the young man’s small hands in his own, and flashed him a warm smile. “Simon Monroe” he whispered, their faces inches apart.

“Kieren Walker” The young man said.

“Well Kieren, I wish I could’ve had the pleasure of meeting you under different circumstances.”

Kieren let out a brief laugh at Simon’s comment and Simon decided he like Kieren’s laugh. “Come on; let’s get you out of the cold yeah?”

Kieren nodded and began shuffling his feet in order to climb over the barrier.

Time seemed to suddenly slow down as one second Kieren was ready to be helped back over to safety.

And the next he had slipped with a shriek over the edge of the boat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who's seen Titanic will probably know what comes next but hey, it's a little cliff hanger! This chapter was getting long anyway... I hope you enjoyed it! Remember this is my first fanfiction so... any form of feedback is really appreciated (comments make my day!) Anyway it's four in the morning I better get some sleep, thank you for reading this, I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP! :)


End file.
